Spritescape Fantasy Fanfic
by J.F.C. James
Summary: Characters are from the webcomic Spritescape Fantasy, some dialogs also from Spritescape Fantasy.


Original webcomic produced by Daniel J. Lee. Permission is given to author to write this fanfic. Spritescape Fantasy is a sprite based webcomic started in February of 2005, it is currently hosted on the Internet

Prelude

Ice blue sheet spread itself over the land of Spritescape as a new day begun. There was no sound apart from the chipping of the birds singing happy songs and flying ever so carefree across the blue skies. A land of normality and peacefulness, or so it seems. Everything lays in a harmonic peace. Gentle wind brushes over the grass land, the wheat, grass and everything waved in the wind. The sun rose majestically from the eastern horizon ever so slowly. It appeared in an yellowish glow. Its luminous aura to sooth all that lie in this world. The waves of the sea beats so softly against the coasts as the sound of the rhythmic soft beatings traveled across the land. There was no war, no hunger, no famine, no tears, no worries, only harmony. Weathered flags waving in the wind are a scene of the imagination. Battles of destruction, honor, and courage are not talked about. Everything was so normal.

The Orcs and humans coexisted, no more differences, no more hatred. Cross marriages have long ago became the norm. Who is to say that all human and Orcs can do is battle it out? The horns no longer needed to be sounded; even the werewolves and dragons became more humane. There was not a threat for those that lived in this place; it was almost like the Garden of Eden only this is not heaven. Beyond the gates of the city are prosperity and hope. Houses of bricks stand on every street. The inhabitants all wear a smile upon their face, indeed it was a great day the sun was shining without a single cloud. The Orcs sold their things while humans sold theirs. There was a mutual intimacy between those two races that never existed before. The day passed without much difference from any other day. It was all so similar. Before long, the luminous sun dimmed and went from the East to near the Western Horizons. The reddish, orange Sun sank slowly beneath the western horizons casting a shade of apricot pink across the land as its last farewell to the day. The Evening was drawing close, all the shops and commotions in the streets ended. The inhabitants retreated to their homes waiting again for the sun to rise in the same slow manner the next morning.  
The silvery moon climbed sleepily over the hills to hang over the dark night sky. It was a full moon, its tender light shone onto the ground like water. The luminous aura in a column instead of a whole, it was dark. Stars decorated the skies like diamonds, only to know that they formed from the ocean and froze in the sky to shine and twinkle. The ocean waves changed its tone to tell the tales of its past. The song of the ocean is to be heard, the sad tell of all that lives within the Ocean as the history of the world is always filled with hatred, battles and gory. The silver moon was ever so quiet, it spoke of no words because it needed no lines to express its feelings. Silence is its best expression. The night was a clear one, soft breezes from the ocean came into the city to brush the sleep into the people. The moon changed its colors. Silver faded to blue and finally into an icy blue of the morning sky. A coat of the morning sky was pulled over the city as the moon shone intensely with that same icy blue.

The intensity grew brighter and brighter until the reflection matched that luminous glow of the midday sun. It was no long before the intensity surpassed the brightness of the sun. The inhabitants woke up and found themselves in great brightness. No one could ever explain what just happened. No one knows what caused the change in the brightness. The Moon shone ever brighter like a sun. The colors once again started to change. It turned back to its original silvery white. The intensity suddenly diminished, the tenderness returned. The next morning, everyone woke up later than they usually did. A meeting was held and the population was counted. No damage or lost personnel were counted. The intense bright moon did not do anything to the city, but the topic did not die down. People talked about it, discussed about it. However, before nightfall, everyone decided it was just a natural thing. The sudden brightness of the moon could be caused by some unexplained natural effects.

For the next few nights, the unnatural bright moon stayed, but every night it grew in length and intensity. Until one day, the moon did not set or rise. It was there the whole time like a second sun that hung on the sky, but it was brighter than the sun and had a hue of ice blue. That was what the city could not figure out, but since they got used to it, no one really questioned it any further after a few days.

A week later, the moon was still there, the inhabitants are getting anxious and grumpy due to the lack of sleep. Things were never done correctly ever again, clumsiness was a commonplace. Quarrels often broke out in fights and/or other more violent actions whether it was between Orcs and Orcs, Orcs and Humans, or Humans against Humans. Everyone was in a mood of unhappiness. Everyone hoped that this would end soon. It was breaking up too much harmony. There was no more harmony. One night, the moon shined in such a great intensity that it could be seen far away, it was brighter than anything anyone had ever seen before. The luminous glow enveloped the city and pulled itself down onto every corner. The great column of light turned from a hue of ice blue to white. A great bang was heard, after that followed silence and darkness.  
When a visitor from a nearby city came to visit, there was nothing left. No one knew where the city went or what happened to it. The houses and the stores became black ashes upon the ground. Nothing could be seen as a hint towards the prosperity that it once held a few weeks ago. For all intends and purposes, it is now a wasteland. To honor the city, a cemetery was built upon the ruins to pay respect to all those who lost their lives.

The moon was not happy with only one city; soon city after city fell under the moon. All that is left of Spritescape is just a vast cemetery filled with lines after lines of tombstones standing there facing the ocean where gentle breezes still come through. The land became silent, no motion to be registered. Cities that were attacked lay in a gray mist that enveloped the tombs. The tender moonlight would bathe those cemeteries every night in gentle brushes as if it was sorry for it has done while in another city somewhere else it is doing great damage. It seems that all hopes are lost; there is no way that the insane moon could be stopped.

The lives of the world lies in threat, a savior would gain great honor and glory. Thus a druid with great imaginations stood up and proclaimed that he was going to save the world from this craziness. He states that he was going to put an end to all of this. His name was no other than that of Rook. Rook was a famous druid for being exceptionally random and romantic as in having weird ideas of saving someone like that of Don Quixote not as in love terms. Rook was now standing in front of everyone and talking with such self assurance and confidence that no one could actually change Rook's mind. However, although everyone was glad that someone stood up to fight for a good cause, but they thought it as impractical. It was not all that possible. There were all kinds of creatures out there, who knows what will happen to Rook. Especially those Orcs that opposed to the binding of Humans and Orcs, they could be very dangerous and violent. No one would go with Rook, or so it seemed. Suddenly a paladin came forth and stated that he, Valor, the noble Paladin would help Rook to achieve his goal of accomplishing a good feat. Valor was famous as well because Valor is the keeper of light, one of the most capable Paladins ever to be born. Valor had the ability and the potential, but he never got a chance to get honor and decorations, this was his best chance, how could he say No?  
The two travelers set off on their journey on a sunny morning with every villager cheering for them at the gate. Everyone looked hopeful and optimistic. They hoped that some day those two people will find out what's wrong with the moon and fix it for once and for all.

The world looked upon the moon, and the sky. Tomorrow is a new morning. Will morning bring new hopes that brightens up the nightmares of yesterday, and in its wakening allow all men to be safe? The world looked at the moon in surprise. Its bloodlust now have prevailed above its gentle and calm manners. The world lit up in a hue of red. The ominous glow creeped to the edges of the world. The sun no longer shone. The dark, black clouds of the depressed night cover the earth in a blackish curtain. Everything was in the color of red and it was dark. Morning did not come, larks would no longer sing. The birds flew across the sky to escape the agonizing pain of the moon, only to meet their worst nightmare. Towards the west, the bright red sky turned into an amorphous black swarm. Then, millions of crows poured themselves upon the birds of other sorts. Nothing survived. The ground was now saturated with blood, bones and small fragments of other birds. The looks of the birds froze upon their face, their eyes no longer alive, but in shock and fright. The death eyes froze in fright and shock dimmed and lost all its brightness, only to be chewed up by another crow.

The trees became black with dense crows as those black birds fed upon the dead. The dead soon became insufficient, so they started to hunt the living. Cannibalism amongst the crows grew as others attacked the humans and the orcs. The two sides paired up in triumph and gathered all courage, a war between the combined forces of men and orcs against the crows begun.

Lightning struck and stretched across the sky, the yellow bright eyes of the crows glowed like spotlights against the dark of the night.  
The horns of both men and orcs were sounded, the men and orcs came down like a wave, hammering all crows in sight. The crows feared none, they flew up and attacked the humans and the orcs. Before long, the birds were outnumbering the orcs and the men.

Courageous the men and the orcs can be, swinging their weapons of war in all directions, but they were no match. The crows picked up a warrior and consumed the man alive. They were ruthless and no longer bared the symbol of birds. They have become the tools of the Enemy. The moon, covered by dark clouds, shined in a dark red that even the clouds could not hide. It casted a layer of red amongst the ground. The soaked grounds of the world reflected back in a darker red, answering to the bloodlust of the moon. The crows croaked through the night, more crows were coming. They were soldiers of war and their horn was the angry red moon shining against all the blackness. The crows, now braver started to attack villages and savage the survivors. In desperation, forests and villages were sent ablaze. In the background of the sound of the fury of the fire, there was the screams of the women and the young still savaged by the crows. Death, was now a part of everyday life. There was no escape.

The werewolves of the night, crows of the wrath and other miserable creatures roamed the land endlessly. The dark world had no hope.

The world woke up to a cloudy, sunless morning. Most are surprised at the darkness of the world. It reminded everyone of death and ashes. The whole world burrowed itself in a world of darkness. No one ever saw the light of the sun. Everyone begun to loose hope as the Sun would not allow any light to pierce through. The silent moon watches over the Earth, laughing at its fragile and vulnerabe being. No one knew the mocking moon was trying to do the world some good in telling the world that nature has its way of preventing men to prevail and destroy the nature. Men are built by nature to be self-destructive. One day, men would kill themselves. It is written in their genes. All would end in a war phrophsied by nothing. It will be only seen by the people of the era. Human race by itself will not know when to stop at a point of madness. The blindness to the world would finally break through.  
No human viewed the action of moon as such, the anguished men look at empty cities and burned up towns. They could no longer hold their fear and anger. The angry flames have made itself a representation of the fury of the men. No one should stand against men and orcs combined. A final triumph was rallied. Upon a city, all that is willing and able to go against nature's law have assembled there. They gathered to retain honor and victory. War drums and horns sounded in the air echoing into the horizons. The tens of thousands of men on horseback and on foot are ready for the final hour before the strike. The moon took the silence and watched in mockery. Its light of red reached gently onto the ground, brushing the Earth softly in silent brushing. The men and orcs charged upon those fields, rushing to reach victory. The ground trampled on violently, sending rumbles and noises all across the world. The unified harmony is broken. The army of men and orcs stopped two miles from the home of the crows. It was almost time.

The crows started to croak in a cacophonous war battle. Each cry sends a shiver down most people's spine. The sky darkened further as lightening stroke across the sky. Other streaks hit the ground causing a bright light that was almost blinding. The moon was now in a blood thirst red, but still silent, for its anger can wait.  
The men and orcs saw that the time was ripe, opened their attack on the home of crows, an old forest that was long since forgotten. The crows rose to the air to join with the lightning and to fly down on the human. The eyes of the crows glowed like bright suns in their sockets. The yellowish light bright enough to illuminate the ground all around. The land was in a layer of red from previous battles. However, the men, seeing the past triumphed in courage and fought bravely.

The forest was soon in flames that was so bright that the horizons could see it, they could witness it. The final combat of men was becoming a success as the volleys of arrows and swords were in the end stronger than the flesh and the bones of the crows.

The crows number decreased drastically, the numbers could no longer sustain. In that light, the men became inspired and fought even harder. It wasn't long before the men were just chasing down the last of the crows. The overjoyed combined forces gathered in great joy. The moon did not subside and go back to its normal gentle silvery. Its red stayed on the moon. Little by little, the moon was in an icy blue, then the blue concentrated into a bright violetish blue. The moon became white and silverish, the men thought the end had finally came. The moon grew in intensity so quickly that before anyone could realize, they were in an aura of white light. Then the moon in all its laziness, poured all its light into the earth. The light changed into red again and was so bright that the night sky was covered in red. Then the angry moon consumed all light. The night sky had only one red moon, as big as half the world. The stars could not outshine the moon nor would the sun even dare to come out to diminish the powers of the moon. When light returned, everywhere was in silence. The army became empty thin air, no one knew where they were. But the moon does, in the void of the world is where they are. They no longer exist, they are only images of the past. The moon once again prevailed.

Two shadows lingered on to a mountain and stood there. Darkness surrounded them. Their faces would not be showed from their hoods. It was impossible to tell who they were. Lightning and thunder stroke upon Earth. As soon as the flash disappeared, so did the figures. Those who appeared and disappeared are the nameless two. Better known as the Double Js' those were mercenary creations of Earth. Their infamous evil deeds were far from being unheard of. All those who heard their names tremble in fear.  
They had no names, no face (as no one has been able to get close enough to take a look), fairy tales have been told about them. They haunt the day, and prey the night. Those who live in proximity dared not even to close their eyes for one second fearing that their fate would somehow end in a disturbing way. But there was no escape no matter how hard one tried. The nameless two were ruthless. They did not care who they had to kill. They would just kill without any remorse. Villages began to disappear under their reign of terror. Until the story of the Nameless two, became a distant tale, a legend and a nightmare. Those who lived to tell the tale were thought as miracles. The stories pass on, from village to village. Until the whole world knew about their existence.

It is said that through their witchcraft, they could control all the suns, moons, stars, and the Earth. They overpowered all that is to be powered over. None dared to rebel against their rule.

The orcs without remorse, without hope, became the fury that they are known for. Endless clashes thus begun. Those who know of the past regrets this move, but none that still lives remembers the darkened skies that the sun would not shine for the earth was filled with death and war. That was when all hope was lost. Lightnings stroke across the sky. Battle drums beat into the night with no one to follow. The empty caskets awaited each night for their subjects to return. Over and over again the races fought, heroes were given birth to and fell from grace. Both sides had too many heroes lost, too many death, there was none left to carry the flag which bear the souls of a thousand and to lead an army. There is not one standing willing to fight. There is even less for those who wish to live on. Fire and death lingered on the ground. The bells of missionaries never ceased its tolls. Death became less than an item. Those who saw death never once cried in its face, they merely carried onwards. There is no hope left for any. Life had no meaning, even those who had a heart of a gold did no longer feel the warmth of life. The whole world went into darkness. Orcs went into swamps and became a hateful species. Now the shadow smiled. For it was the shadow that created all those, the shadow feared nothing. No method shall bring harm on the shadow. Not even those that know the most difficult of spells can barely scratch the skins of the shadow. It exists in an indefinite form, never to be explained, never to exist and yet there it stands.

It commands the orcs, disabling them from sleep. Haunts them in the night and enslaves them. Like frightened zombies they walk the earth, searching for the answer. But the shadow would not let them go. The nymphs had the answer and yet they did not like the Orcs. Shadow was unhappy. So sleep it steal from the orcs, giving them month after month of pain, never to rest, never to be able to be comfortable. Those who could rest, would rest forever in a wooden casket. Walking was impossible, life became difficult. The orcs had no other choice. They had to go fight the nymphs.


End file.
